Look how cute I am mom!!!

I could just watch her all day.

It's funny because her sisters have these cute little floppy ears. But Echo's stand up on end. They're much bigger as well. Her dad had these big stand-up ears. I guess that's where she gets it from.

Ghetto doggy

I couldn't help it. She whines and shivers when we walk on cold days. So I thought maybe she needed a coat. She doesn't hate it, but I wouldn't say it's her favorite thing ever. But it makes me feel a little better about taking her for walks in the cold.

Update:

It's only a month later and this sweater is already almost too small. I knew it would be before next winter, but she's growing so fast!!!

Mixed feelings

Sometimes I love my puppy so much I wonder why I ever waited to get a dog. She cuddles at night and rests her head on my neck. She's really cute in the morning when she stretches all out on the bed and licks my face and she's all shy and sweet and quiet. When I get home from work she's so happy to see me, her oversized ears lay back and she crouches and licks me while her little tail wags back and forth. She barely ever leaves my side. She'll follow me upstairs even if someone else is playing with her. She sits on my feet while I wash dishes and wants to be in my lap if I'm sitting somewhere. When we were riding in the car today it started raining and she was watching the windshield wipers go back and forth, kind of biting the air each time they swept by. The first time she discovered the mirror on my closet door I thought I was going to die laughing. She ran full speed at the puppy reflection and licked and licked the face. Then she tried to get past the puppy in the mirror but couldn't figure out why she couldn't get by. Finally she saw my reflection and kept barking until I walked over and pet her.

Sometimes though, I feel completely exhasperated and seriously cannot figure out why in God's name I felt compelled to let a wild animal live in my home. I don't mind getting up at 1am and then again at 4am in case she just woke up because she has to go to the bathroom. But I don't understand why the other night after we get home from a long walk she proceeds to do laps around the couch and launches herself off of anything she can manage to climb. I can't figure out why she won't come to me when I call her, especially when we're about to go for a walk. I get really frustrated when she bites my lip or my toes so hard I want to cry. She's usually really good about going to the bathroom outside but last night we stood outside forever while I froze my butt off. Later I walked through the enormous puddle in the bathroom. And today I finally found the pile of poop under the dining room table. I know she's just a baby and she's going to grow out of a lot of the annoying puppy behaviors, but I can't help getting upset with her.

When I'm good, I'm good

It's tough to wear a puppy out. But when I do, it's awesome. I wanted to go somewhere and Echo was tired. So I picked her up with the blanket she was on and put her in a bag. She woke up for a minute but then she was out like a light.

Puppy love

My best friend Stephanie came out to visit. I lived with her for a year in Virginia and in no way did I appreciate what I had until I lost her. Four of us all lived in a townhouse and at the end of the year I announced that I wanted to move to the West Coast. So everyone packed up, got jobs elsewhere and moved. Except me; I stayed in Virginia. I hadn't found the perfect job yet and I was willing to wait until I did. Finally a year later I moved to Tahoe. But I miss her like crazy! I love it when friends come to visit. No matter how long it's been, we're still the best of friends.

7 weeks

Echo is such a good puppy. She had her first shots last week and didn't cry once. She sat on my lap like a good girl and just waited patiently. There is no shortage of energy either. Just one more week and she comes home with me for good. She loves me too. I know that's funny to say, but she curls up in my lap when she wants to go to sleep and when she's nervous. I think we've really bonded. I was there when she was born and I've seen her just about every other day since then.


The kitty is still her favorite toy. She's getting much better about chewing the kitty and not my fingers. She still loves to chew on my hair though. I'm not sure I'll ever break her of that habit.

She might be just a little jealous of her sister River. But they love to play together and cuddle together. It's seriously the cutest thing you have ever seen in your life.